Sleep Apnea

TREATMENTS

Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Oral Appliance Therapy

Our goal is to manage sleep apnea and snoring for those who are CPAP intolerant or those who do not require CPAP. To help you accomplish this, you will find information to better understand sleep apnea and snoring, along with treatments for these sleep disrupting problems. One of these treatments is the use of a special oral appliance. Dental management with oral appliances just may be the solution you are looking for. We work hand in hand with your physician and your dentist to help alleviate these issues. When appropriate, we may have physical therapists, neurologists, medical sleep specialists, or others join the treatment team in order to provide the most effective treatment possible.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when your muscles relax during sleep, allowing the soft tissue to collapse and block the airway. As a result, sleep apnea causes you to stop breathing up to hundreds of times a night for anywhere from a few seconds to more than a minute. Snoring, excessive daytime sleepiness, memory problems, irritability, fatigue and insomnia are all signs that you could be losing shut-eye to sleep apnea. If left untreated, sleep apnea can be a potentially life threatening condition. It can increase the risk for other serious health problems such as high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, depression and impotence. The traditionally prescribed treatment for obstructive sleep apnea is continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy. It involves sleeping with a face mask connected by tubing to a constantly running machine. Although CPAP is effective, up to half of patients don’t adhere to the treatment. Dentists can provide an alternate sleep solution with oral appliance therapy.